ABOUT

What are The Maker Games?The Maker Games are an exciting, fast-paced prototyping competition and course exclusive to UNSW students. Students form multi-disciplinary teams of four or five and work together to solve real-world industry challenges, set by our industry partners.

Who can participate in The Maker Games?Any UNSW undergraduate student who has completed more than 96 units of credit, or any UNSW postgraduate student who has completed more than 24 units of credit by Term 2 2019, can participate in The Maker Games.

Is it just for Engineering students?No, although it is anticipated that most students will be from Engineering, all UNSW students are welcome to join.

I’m a postgraduate. Can I participate?Yes, but only if you have completed more than 24 units of credit.

How do I register?To register, login to The Maker Games’ bespoke Moodle page and follow the simple registration steps.

I’ve registered, what happens next?
Our industry partners’ challenges will be viewable on the Moodle from 1st February 2019.
On Friday 15th March and Saturday 16th March 2019, all parties will attend The Maker Games Design Sprint Weekend – an exciting ‘hackathon style’ weekend where students and industry partners meet to explore the chosen challenges, teams are registered, and solutions are explored. This will be followed by an intensive Design Sprint.

I want to join a team, what do I do?
Students must select their own team members so encourage friends, classmates, flatmates and bring them along to The Maker Games Design Sprint Weekend where you can register. Alternatively, just come along to the Weekend, you can join a team.

Can I choose my team members?Yes, students are welcome to create their own teams. Remember, teams must contain multi-disciplinary students – a combination of students enrolled in engineering and non-engineering programs.

What are the rules in respect of the composition of teams?Each team must comprise of 4-5 multi-disciplinary team members;
If your proposal is successful and you qualify for Stage 2 a minimum of three (3) team members must enrol in ENGG3060 for Term 2, 2019.
ENGG3060 requirements must be:
– an undergraduate student at UNSW who has completed 96 UOC by the beginning of Term2, 2019; or
– a postgraduate student who has completed 24 UOC by the beginning of Term 2, 2019.

When is the last day to finalise teams?All teams must register in person during The Maker Games Design Sprint Weekend, taking place at the Michael Crouch Innovation Centre (MCIC) on Friday 15th March 2019 until Saturday 16th March 2019. What happens if a team member leaves?If the team can continue without that team member, there will not be any problem provided that your team still meets the criteria of three team members enrolled in ENGG3060. It is the responsibility of the team to either find a new team member or to continue the competition with one less team member.In exceptional circumstances, for example, due to illness, please contact j.epps@unsw.edu.au and themakergames@unsw.edu.au.

Can I choose which challenge I take?Yes, students choose which challenge they would like to solve on the Moodle page. Team members should collectively review, consider and discuss the challenge options before selecting a challenge.

Where can I get more information about the challenge?Students can get more information on the challenge at The Maker Games Design Sprint Weekend. Representatives from industry will be there to answer any queries you may have on the challenge.

Can I/We propose a different challenge or project? Can we negotiate the topic with industry?No. The challenges are set by the industry members and cannot be changed. Students can seek clarification on the challenges at The Maker Games Design Sprint Weekend, however, there typically will not be any changes to the challenges once they are set.

When do we submit final proposals?The deadline to submit your team proposal is midnight Sunday 17th March 2019 via The Maker Games Moodle page.

Who will judge the proposal?Proposals will be judged by an expert panel of industry representatives and academic staff.

What are the judging criteria for pitches?The indicative judging criteria for Stage 1 is as follows:
– Clarity and precision of the problem statement
– Motivation of problem/opportunity and need for solution
– Breadth and understanding of competitors, market and related solutions
– Understanding of relevant background technical knowledge
– Innovativeness of concept
– Consideration of alternative designs/reasoning behind choices made
– Detail in proposed design
– Business case
– Fluency, logic and persuasiveness of presentation
– Effective use of visuals

What happens if our proposal is successful?If your proposal is successful, you will proceed to Stage 2 – The Prototype Development stage. At least three (3) of your team members must enrol in ENGG3060 to successfully proceed to Stage 2.In Stage 2, you will collaborate with your Industry and Academic Mentors to transform your idea into a working prototype. Each team will demonstrate their prototype to their peers, industry representatives and academic staff at The Maker Games Finale Showcase event. An expert panel of judges will select the team with the best overall idea and prototype who will be crowned the overall winner of The Maker Games competition 2019.

What happens if our proposal is unsuccessful?Unfortunately, if your proposal is unsuccessful your team will not proceed to stage 2. Industry Partners will give critical feedback on your proposal, and relevant MCIC Hackathons will be recommended to you over the course of the year.

Does The Maker Games count as Industrial Training?No. The Maker Games is a course and does not count as Industrial Training. We encourage all industry partners to grant Industrial Training hours to students after The Maker Games concludes.

What are the pre-requisites for ENGG3060?Undergraduate students must have completed 96 UOC by the beginning of Term 2, 2019. Postgraduate students must have completed 24 UOC.

Do I have to enrol in ENGG3060? What if I am not an engineering student, and don’t have 96 UOC, or don’t want to take this course?Not every participant must enrol in ENGG3060. However, students must ensure that at least three (3) members of their team are enrolled in this course in Term 2, 2019. If this is not possible, please seek guidance from Prof. Julien Epps (j.epps@unsw.edu.au) and themakergames@unsw.edu.au as soon as possible.It is students’ responsibility to ensure they are in a team where at least three (3) other team members are enrolled in ENGG3060.

What if my teammates are not taking ENGG3060?As long as three (3) of the team members are taking ENGG3060 there will not be a problem. That way, even if a student not taking the course for credit decides not to continue, there should be enough people working on the challenge to make it feasible.

Are ENGG3060 assessments team-based or individual?ENGG3060 assessments are team based. ENGG3060 is consistent with UNSW standards and will not exceed usual maximum group work contributions.

Where can I find more information on ENGG3060?Please seek guidance from Prof. Julien Epps (j.epps@unsw.edu.au) and themakergames@unsw.edu.au

ENGG3060 doesn’t appear on my recommended program plan. How do I know if it will be credited towards my degree program? Does it count towards my honours WAM?In principle, ENGG3060 counts towards all Engineering disciplines’ elective lists. See here for more information.Exactly how ENGG3060 counts towards elective requirements in your discipline is at the discretion of your School’s Program Authority.When emailing the Program Authorities on this matter, please ensure Dr Julien Epps (j.epps@unsw.edu.au) and Dr Ray Eaton (r.eaton@unsw.edu.au) are copied (cc’d).

What are the face-to-face requirements of ENGG3060? What if I have a timetable clash?There will be a small number of timetabled face-to-face meetings. These will largely consist of briefings on key aspects of the course.
Students are required to meet weekly with their assigned academic mentor and regularly with their industry mentor. However, the timings of these meetings can be negotiated to suit everyone involved.Students must also make themselves available each week on campus to work on the team’s prototype development and/or hold team meetings without their mentor. This timing can also be negotiated between the team, subject to lab opening times. A significant online collaboration commitment is also expected between mentor meetings.It is expected that the total face to face commitment will be approximately 4-6 hours per week. For timetable clashes, please contact Prof. Julien Epps (j.epps@unsw.edu.au).

Do the Industry Mentors expect we work full time on The Maker Games Challenge?Industry Mentors are fully aware that students are taking other courses. However, Mentors expect students to commit at least 150 hours to The Maker Games -as would be expected for any other 6 UoC course. For the avoidance of doubt, the 150 hours includes all activities for this course.

We are working on this project free of charge for a company. What is in it for us?The Maker Games presents students with an invaluable opportunity to gain real-life industry experience. Participants will be working with some of your profession’s leading companies or start-ups, providing excellent opportunities to build key connections which will enable you to kickstart your career.Students will receive mentorship from industry, academic staff and on-campus experts. Last year, the student to mentor ratio was 1:1.Additionally, The Maker Games will develop and enhance many key skills including product development, problem-solving, teamwork and pitching.

What support can students expect to receive from the industry?Students can expect to receive weekly or fortnightly meetings with industry representatives. These meetings may be face-to-face or online.
Between meetings, students can expect prompt responses to reasonable requests for assistance via email/phone. For example, this may include:
– Regular guidance on the constraints of the problem and the context in which the prototype needs to operate
– Advice on how to evaluate solutions
– Technical and/or business case guidance
– Industry representatives will also attend the Final Showcase event.

What facilities are available for this project? How do I access them?The Engineering Makerspace Network will host bespoke workshops for The Maker Games participants in Stage 2. These workshops will include fast-track courses on CNC milling, electronics, 3D printing, laser cutting and more. Special lab access can be arranged with your academic mentor or The Maker Games staff.
The Maker Games 2019 participants will be granted extended access to Willis Annex Makerspaces and MCIC Makerspace during Stage 2 of The Maker Games.
To qualify for the workshops and extended access, students must first successfully complete the Shop Tools Safety Induction. To register for the Shop Tools Safety please click here and complete the process: Spaces are available now.

What is the cost of participating in The Maker Games 2018?The team budget for developing the prototype is $300. Students can be reimbursed for sums up to a maximum amount of $300, subject to providing the Faculty of Engineering with a valid tax receipt(s).
No texts books are required for this course.

Who owns the IP?If there is any Background IP in the brief provided by the Sponsor, the Sponsor will continue to own that IP but will permit students to use that IP for the purpose of the Course and the Competition.
It is a matter for a team to decide who/how IP ownership will be determined amongst themselves.

Can students earn course credit for participating in The Maker Games?Yes, if a team progresses to Stage 2, team members can enrol in ENGG3060 Student-Initiated Projects course (6 UOC) which can count as a discipline elective course. Three (3) students per team are required to be enrolled in ENGG3060 for Term2 2019.

Where will The Maker Games take place?The Maker Games will take place at the UNSW Kensington Campus and the Art and Design Paddington Campus. Students will have access to Makerspaces to build their prototypes, but all students must complete the Shop Tools Induction first.

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TESTIMONIALS

“The Maker Games was a wonderful opportunity to work on challenging real-world problems with a multi-disciplinary team. My personal highlights include engaging with highly skilled industry mentors and gaining an insight into the exciting world of start-up companies.”

Zoe Marandos
Mechatronic Engineering/Neuroscience

“Maker Games allowed me to put my design and manufacturing skills to a project that has a significant impact on real life scenarios. It also gave me the chance to get connected with industry partners. ”

Michael WuComputational Design student

“Maker Games was amazing for me because it was my first real contact with industry. Having a professional with 20 years of experience not only stop and listen to you, but also appreciate your idea and assist with turning it into a commercial deployment, is an experience like no other and one I would not have had without the Maker Games.”

Nicholai RankSoftware Engineering student

“We had an extremely positive experience from our involvement in the Maker Games last year. For us, the Maker Games was an opportunity to support our drive for an innovative and future-proofed product range. Having the fresh eyes of the students gave us a lot to think about, and the quality of work that we received was outstanding. It was a pleasure to be part of this initiative. We will definitely be signing up for the next round of Maker Games when it comes around this year.”

Andrew LarkinSenior Mechanical Design Engineer, Philips

“We found Makers Games a fantastic opportunity for both our talented students to demonstrate creativity and enjoy competitive team work on creating a meaningful innovation for the society, and for industry to meet them, connect and open opportunities to support their education and future career goals.”

Ratko MilosavljevicPhilips

“We weren’t originally sure whether our business activity suited such a challenge but we wanted to make a commitment to the students. So we shared with the students some problems we had identified, based on user observation and customer feedback. Once we began working closely with them, we were enormously impressed by the university’s dedication and the passion of the students. The students showed fantastic real team spirit and a true entrepreneurial attitude. We all took so much out of this experience that we are still, long after the Maker Games ended, looking for some time to go on cooperating with the student team.”

Matthieu GermainTechnical Manager for Private Brands, REBEL

“It was great to be involved in the UNSW Maker Games. It was particularly eye-opening to see the students take our real world challenge and apply new big data and deep learning concepts to help us develop strategies to reduce our energy usage.”